1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to modular office systems, and more particularly to a modular storage cabinet which can be shipped in a knockdown condition and substantially constructed without the need for mechanical fasteners and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Modular office components which can be manufactured and shipped in a knock-down condition for later assembly at the users site are well known in the art. With such systems, it is generally necessary to use mechanical fasteners, such as bolts or screws or the like, in order to assemble the office component at the site. This requires the packaging and shipping of the fasteners and special tooling with the component, or the user or assembler must separately obtain such tooling in order to construct the office component. For those components which can xe2x80x9csnapxe2x80x9d together, such as a storage cabinet for children""s toys or outdoor furniture and the like, frictional snap-fit connections are provided for the individual pieces. However these typically provide only a storage area and cannot accommodate shelving in the interior because of the construction of the storage cabinet. This is generally due to the fact that the snap-fit connections, while sufficient to hold the individual pieces together, are not sturdy enough to support interior structures or accessories.
In order to provide a more rigid structure, it is often necessary to incorporate metal structural elements into the component pieces. These are either separate components or, more typically, incorporated into the non-metal components which make up the panels for the modular office component. Therefore, this complicates the manufacture of the individual pieces which make up the assembled component as well as requiring post-manufacture activity such as painting to provide a neat and trim appearance for the assembled cabinet.
What is needed is a knock-down, portable furniture component which can be easily constructed at the users site without the need for special tooling. It would also be desirable if such a component could be constructed without requiring additional fasteners. Preferably the components can be made of molded material, such as plastic, which can be easily manufactured without requiring post-manufacture finishing.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an easily reconfigurable furniture component which can be readily assembled at a users site without the need for special tooling.
It is a further object to the present invention to provide a modular storage cabinet which can accommodate doors, drawers, and shelving or other accessories, for a compartmentalized interior.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a modular storage cabinet which requires minimal metal fasteners for assembly.
It is yet a still further object of the present invention to provide a modular storage cabinet having door mounted and/or removable storage bins for filing and electronic media storage.
In accordance with the present invention, a modular furniture assembly comprises a plurality of side walls, each of which side wall includes a body portion and two opposed arcuate connector portions. Means are provided for connecting adjacent side walls at an angle therebetween to form a generally closed component. A top panel is connected to a top portion of the connecting means, and a bottom panel is connected to a bottom portion of the connecting means. One of the side wall panels is adapted to receive a door and/or drawer. Preferably, an injection molding construction of the side wall panel facilitates attachment of shelving to the interior of the cabinet.
In a method of assembling a modular furniture component, the method comprises the steps of providing a plurality of wall panels, each of said wall panels having a body portion and arcuate connector portions on either end thereof, said arcuate connector portions having an outer surface, providing a plurality of cylindrical members having an outer perimeter, and providing a plurality of C-shaped sleeves having an inner surface. A top panel and a bottom panel are provided, the cylindrical members being connected to the bottom panel at a bottom end of the cylindrical members. Wall panels are placed adjacent the cylindrical members such that arcuate connector portions are disposed about the outer perimeter of the cylindrical member at a plurality of comers. A sleeve is placed adjacent each of the corners such that the inner surface of the sleeve is disposed about the outer surface of the arcuate connector portions. The top panel is connected to the cylindrical member at a top end thereof.